Tuesday, December 18, 2012

So after the new 18c ensemble, and down-sizing all kinds of pattern. . . Then, I decided to finally start the historic costuming pattern line I've been dreaming of for over a decade, plus am still looking for a job, plus still taking doll classes, plus all-kinds-of-randomness! And now, of course, holiday madness. I'm crafting several of my presents as I haven't tons of funds this year due to the unemployment situation I'm in. In between this, I did do some mocking up of some of my "flexible size" pattern ideas, and even made a skirt, but by and large, I've been distracted.

This hasn't stopped me from daydreaming about still more sewing plans! A lot of the "flexible size" plans I had were paired up with lovely, flowery, lightweight cottons from my stash. Clearly, I don't feel like working on those any more when it's winter now! But I was able to pick different stash fabrics for some of those patterns, plus have some more ideas, and in the end, I've got a nice little collection of ideas to choose from. Oddly, they fell into two color themes: red/white/black, and purple/fuschia/black. And they involve a little of everything: dresses, separates, outerwear, knitted accessories. . . So definitely something for any mood that might take me.

So these are the things I'm thinking about for playing around with in January and through the rest of the cold weather months of 2013. As for the rest of 2012, I've got a few UFO's that have been sitting for far too long, one more Christmas gift to make, and then I really need to recover my vintage knitting bag/stand thing. I got it for so cheap because the bag part is old, dirty, and falling apart. I told myself I wouldn't use it until I recovered it, but it's just so handy! So I've kind of been putting my projects (clean and safe in their zip-loc plastic bags) into the stand. But, I can see how much better it will be when I don't have to additionally bag my projects. Also, today I jammed my finger into a pin that was hidden in the folds of the fabric, where someone years ago had attempted to stop the thing from falling apart. So now, this has become a matter of health and safety! Stay tuned on whether or not I end up dying of tetanus as oppoed to getting any of my sewing/knitting done!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I was just kidding. . . I meant I would NOT be back any time soon with actual sewing content, ha ha ha!

As it turns out, I decided I needed an all new 18th century ensemble for an event I'm going to this Saturday, so that's taken up a little handful of my time (and gets blogged in my historic sewing blog, of course), and I've also been working on a cosplay costume with my neice, and some random mending. In addition, I've had a lot on my plate in the non-sewing areas of my life.

One of my big projects has been down-sizing my pattern collection, because apparently, I have over 700 patterns! YIKES! That's what happens when you aquire patterns fairly consistently for something like 24 years straight! Especially since I can not resist a cheaply priced box of vintage patterns at a random yard sale or flea market! So I've been finding new homes for a lot of my patterns. . . But also buying a few patterns. I can't help it; I'm a patternaholic! But the patterns I'm buying lately are fewer, and they have to be something seriously special. As my good friend Sarah so accurately described it, I'm "refining" my pattern collection.

So anyhow. I'm really crazy excited for some of my fall sewing projects, which include some of the works-for-my-changing-body-size plans (I've lost five pounds so far - go me!) and I was thinking to give you guys a sneak peek at what I'm doing next. . . But I actually can't decide! So my plan is to get up Sunday morning, pick something, and make it. . . And then hopefully post all about it. We'll see if I actually stick to the plan for once!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

While this blog may have been quiet, there's actually a lot going on for me right now! And some of it is even sewing! Now, if I could just focus on one project at a time long enough to 100% finish any one of them, I'd have something to post about. . . ;)

Coming soon: a summery blouse (just needs buttons), an obnoxious sundress (in pieces, partially assembled, all over my sewing room), and then a line-up of fashions geared towards my planned size/shape change. Yes, I know I said way back in April that I was trying to lose weight. I've been starting and stopping traditional diets and exercise options since then, and it seems that now that my metabolism has slowed to that of a real grown-ups, this just doesn't cut it for me any more. But I've done a lot of reading up on nutrition/diets, exercise, and health in general, and I've decided to give the Whole30 challenge a try. So I'm filled with hope that I can nix this belly bulge and get back to my normal size, but in the meantime, I still want to sew pretty things! So stay tuned for some fun dresses that are good choices for shifting sizes, because I've found a few patterns/styles that don't look like maternity, and offer flexibility for size/shape changes, while still looking super cute the whole time!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Hope everyone had a happy, fun, safe 4th of July! I know I did, because I was rocking a brand new dress I patterned and made in 1.5 days so I could get to wear it. ;)

I had my husband snap a few pictures in front of our patriotically decorated house. I am making ridiculous faces in all of them, but, here is the least awful of the bunch (and please excuse my railings which are badly in need of some painting):

It was super fun to wear, and at one point, I heard a girl walking behind me whisper to her friend "that's a really cute dress!" which made my night. :)

I think the pattern turned out well, and the fit is perfect, but I really want to try putting some shirring in the back of my next one, because I am in the midst of losing a bit of weight and don't want to hold off on sewing, but also would like the dresses I make this summer to continue to fit post-weight loss!

Oh, and I scored these awesome sunglasses for $5 at this little craft+stuff sale they had going on in my town for 4th of July:

Monday, April 16, 2012

Today was promising to be in the 80's, so I grabbed this opportunity to debut my new dress!

You can not see it, but that is a giant butterfly in my hair. ;)

One of the things I noticed is that, even after only wearing it for ten minutes or so, it developed a crease at the waist line in the center front. There is actually no seam at the waist on that center front panel. I am attributing this to my tendancy to slouch. Bad Jenni! Must work on that posture. . .

I actually think this dress leans towards being on the frumpy side. A part of it is simply the fact that it gathers in by way of the sash/ties, but also, I had my typical narrow shoulders issue, and didn't adjust for it. Anyhow. Frumpy or not, it is so comfortable and cheerful, that I don't really think I care! ;) It's the perfect dress for capturing the excitement of spring having finally sprung. And, I already am enjoying its flexibility in regards to size, because this afternoon I was starting to feel a little puffy and uncomfortable, and I was able to loosen the ties a bit, and voila! Comfortable again.

Monday, April 2, 2012

I started this blog thinking I was going to be making all kinds of cute dresses, and having all kinds of dressing-up and fashion/beauty babbling fun. . . And then it never seemed to happen. Somehow, I never get around to making cute clothes for everyday because I'm too busy making dolls and historic costumes. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how rare it is that I sew something for myself that isn't a historic costume! That, however, hasn't stopped me from acquiring quite a stash of cute fabrics. Apparently, in my imagination, I was making all kinds of things for myself for "every day." That's fun, but not as fun as actually making and getting to wear these things!

So, this is the year that I set aside some of my sewing time to make some of the cute things I've been dreaming of/stock-piling fabrics for. And especially this spring/summer, since warm weather clothing is my favorite!

One of the issues I'm facing just now is that I'm in the process of a little bit of weight loss. This makes me want to hold off on sewing pretty things for myself, because how sad would it be to only get to wear things for a couple of months, and then have them be too big? But I don't want to hold off on sewing, either, because that's not fun! So, I've been looking for designs that offer a little room for a slight size change. I was surprised to find quite a few options!

The first of what I hope will be many sewing projects this spring/summer:

Well, I'm ready for spring, even if the weather isn't cooperating! Some folks are calling this "warm," but to me, 40 degrees is not "warm." And, it is not "spring" when the weather man is still telling me there could be snow! So for now, you only get pictures on the dress form!

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This pattern was technically a maternity pattern, but the pieces didn't seem too ridiculously huge, and I've seen other 1940s patterns that were not maternity with almost this exact same look. So I gave it a shot, using some incredibly obnoxious, loud, tacky cotton I've had in my stash for probably a decade. I think it turned out all right! It doesn't look like a maternity dress on, IMO, but the fact that you control the fit with the ties makes it super comfortable. I think this will be a great dress for wearing around the house on the super hot days I am just hoping are in my future! ;)

Hello, and thanks for visiting! I'm a Massachusetts gal who spends a huge amount of her free time sewing, knitting, and weaving all kinds of things from the 16th century to the present day. I also love to make and clothe dolls of all sorts, from china heads to American Girl dolls, from French Fashion dolls to ball-jointed dolls. Feel free to stop by my blogs, and say hello! Thanks for visiting! -Jenni